Remember the Great Recession? It was hard to miss and for some of us, it’s never really ended. My mom used to say that when life deals you a lemon, make lemonade. So I used the Great Recession to inspire ideas for my novel “Benefits.”
I’ve never worked full time since that last layoff, which was right at the end of 2009. I was the Director of Communications at the local branch of a national non-profit. The powers that be axed of the entire statewide Comms staff all at once (there were only four of us). In retrospect, I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did — the non-profit had been hemorrhaging jobs since early 2008.
My Recession Jobs
Conveniently, in 2010, Census jobs were available (I really can’t believe that’s upon us once again — it seems like yesterday, truly), so I walked the hot pavement of Palm Springs as an enumerator for awhile, as well as got some freelance writing gigs, as well as some background acting work — but the job from the Great Recession that inspired my novel “Benefits” the most was working at an antique store (which I still do, part-time as of this post).
Antique Store Becomes Office Furniture Outlet
The antique store inspired Refuge, the made-up office furniture store in Benefits. Plot details at the store are, of course, fictional. The very idea of a former Comms exec (Ben Schmidt) working in retail, however, comes from real life. As a writer, I’ve learned that personal circumstances of many kinds can go a long way in filling up that crucial well of ideas every writer needs to draw on.
This is just one small example — obviously there’s more to the plot than just the store. There’s polyamory, white collar crime, children and family issues — but that’s how this part of the Great Recession inspired “Benefits.”
Scene in antique shop 
Author and a tempting serpent 
Every day was hat day. 
Bend over. 
Every day was hat day.
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